10.29.08

“Here’s a story you could have fun with” suggests Philadelphia contributor Chuck Meehan, obviously mistaking me for someone looking to poke fun at Phillies starter Brett Myers (above). “”It’s just fun to bust some caps,” Myers tells the Inquirer’s Jim Salisbury during his rainy day off Tuesday, constructively spent at Delaware County’s Targetmaster.

Myers grabbed the handgun, held it sideways and began firing. “That’s how the gangsters do it,” he said.

“You’ve been watching too many movies,” I said.

“This is a lot of fun for me,” Myers said. “I just like shooting. I was here Saturday, before Game 3,” Myers said. “The games start so late, you have to do something to kill some time.”

There are some similarities between shooting and pitching. Both involve hitting a target. At times, Myers shoots like a starting pitcher. Precise location is the goal. Other times, he grits his teeth and fires like a closer.“Sometimes I like concentrating and seeing if I can hit the target,” he said. “Sometimes I just want to go Rambo-style – no focus, just hold the trigger down. Let it ride, see how much damage you can do to a target.”

Myers knows worrisome Philadelphia fans are fearful that the hellish events of Monday could be the beginning of another chapter of sporting heartbreak in this city.

“The game is tied,” he said. “Why does that give [the Rays] the momentum? I don’t see any momentum change. I don’t feel it. Everyone is talking momentum. We’re still at home, we’re still leading the series three games to one, and I still feel a lot of positive momentum.

“We’ll take batting practice like any other game and go play. We’ll be all right.”

These were calming words, amazingly so from a man holding an assault rifle.